<p>So... I've been trying to decide between Caltech and Mudd.
the biggest problem is about money.
I didn't apply FA at caltech while mudd gives me $40K per year.
It's driven me crazy! could anybody give some suggestion plz?</p>
<p>I would choose Mudd even with finances being equal. With a 40K divide, I would definitely choose Mudd. Visit both and see which you prefer.</p>
<p>It’s hard for me to imagine turning down $40K/year, assuming you like Harvey Mudd. And, I’m a bit baffled as to how you can afford CalTech. Mudd’s only large merit scholarships are the PSP , which has not yet been declared for this year, and the HSM , which is $10K/year. So, if this is ‘need money’ rather than ‘merit money’ - how can you afford CalTech?</p>
<p>That’s a LOT of money, and would be hard to turn down. However, you should NOT consider the money when choosing a school. Caltech and Mudd have a lot in common - both have a comfy small size, both in the LA area, both very selective. Mudd has the Scripps consortium which is a big draw to some, and that offers variety in electives. But it cannot compete with the international reputation of Caltech, the 30-some Nobel scholars, vast research opportunities, and world famous faculty! Either way, you cannot lose. Visit both and see where you feel comfortable - they are only 20 minutes apart.</p>
<p>Ask Caltech if they would consider a FA application at this point. If they won’t, then you won’t be handicapping yourself at all if you go Mudd.</p>
<p>My son liked Cal Tech, until we visited Mudd the next day. The Mudd emphasis on undergrad seemed a big advantage to him. And the Claremont Consortium offers opportunities not available on a smaller techie campus.</p>
<p>My take: Visit both of them.
I’ll tell you that on geek_son’s junior/senior summer college road trip, we wrote Mudd in as almost a pit stop on the way to Caltech, which he had visited earlier and loved. After his afternoon at Mudd, he was enthralled with the culture and the warm welcome he’d received – and Caltech didn’t look so great the next day. He ended up applying to Mudd ED and not applying to Tech at all.</p>
<p>Your perspective and priorities may vary from his, however, so my best advice is to go see for yourself.</p>
<p>Caltech had been my daughter’s dream school for years when she applied to college. Accepted to both Caltech and Mudd, she went to California for the accepted student weekends (which were days apart). The messages we got from her while at Mudd were glowing: she loved the atmosphere, the people, the professors, even the food! When a few days later she arrived at Caltech, she did not have the same reaction. In fact, she felt really negative about it, much to our (and her) surprise. We kept encouraging her to give it more time, see more, etc. She came home ready to send in the deposit to Mudd, went there, and hasn’t looked back.</p>
<p>As Geek_mom said, though, it is all about fit. If you can, I would suggest visiting both colleges and seeing what you think. On the other hand, the $40 grand a year would certainly weigh heavily if it were my decision. I guess what I am saying is that even without a $40K difference, there are plenty of kids who prefer Mudd after visiting both schools. (That said, my daughter’s good friend from high school went to Caltech and she has been very happy there.) You really can’t go wrong with these choices. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>I am in the same boat as one of the above posters, I was planning on applying to both, but after visiting both I only applied to Harvey Mudd, and I got in! (now I just have to choose between HMC and UC Berkeley) 
The atmosphere is much more welcoming than CalTech and their undergraduate emphasis is unmatched.</p>
<p>Plus, there’s always grad school if you wanted to go to CalTech, and HMC has a great track record on sending kids to top of the line grad schools.</p>